SWAT team, coroner respond to East Greenville home

The North Penn SWAT team moves along Washington Street in East Greenville Sunday afternoon.
Photo by Tom Kelly III

EAST GREENVILLE — A police SWAT team responded Sunday to the 200 block of Washington Street to assist local police in serving a search warrant.

An officer from the Upper Perk Police District said they called the North Penn Area Tactical Response Team around 10:19 a.m. to help serve the warrant in what they called “an open investigation.”

A source said police were concerned that the subject who was inside the home, whose exact address was unavailable, was armed.

Police did not name the suspect Sunday.

Advertisement

Both Washington Street and Hickory Alley were closed Sunday between Bank and Second streets from at least 10:45 a.m. until around 4 p.m.

North Penn tactical officers arrived in the early afternoon to a staging area set up in a parking lot across from the East Greenville fire station off of Fourth Street. Around 2:55 p.m., elements of the team were dropped off behind the house where the subject reportedly was and took up position.

Once the team disembarked the armored vehicle, it went down Washington Street to warn residents.

After sirens were sounded multiple times, an explosion, which sounded reminiscent of a “flashbang,” a non-fragmentary grenade police use to stun potential belligerents, could be heard from the area of the residence after some yelling.

Roughly an hour after the body armor-clad team was originally deployed, it could be seen quietly walking up Washington Street with gear slung over their shoulders or at their sides.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene Sunday afternoon. Upper Perk Police couldn’t give any more information on what happened other than to direct further questions to the coroner’s office.

A phone call to the coroner’s office was not answered Sunday.

There were no reports of responding police suffering injuries and no one was brought into custody.

No gunfire was heard Sunday afternoon and the potential flashbang explosion was the only loud sound other than sirens after the SWAT team deployed.

Elements of the New Hanover, Lower Salford, Franconia, Colebrookdale, Douglass (Mont.) and state police arrived to support the Upper Perkiomen Police District.

An Upper Perkiomen Valley Ambulance stood in front of the East Greenville fire house across from where the Montgomery County mobile headquarters were set up.

Officers from the Upper Perkiomen Police District remained on-scene to investigate after the roads re-opened and other police units left.

Upper Perk Police said the investigation into the incident is still open and further details on Sunday’s incident and the investigation that led up to it were not released.

About the Author

Frank Otto is a general assignment reporter covering Phoenixville, Limerick and Spring-Ford schools in addition to features and spot news. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Otto moonlights with the sports department on occasion. Reach the author at fotto@pottsmerc.com
or follow Frank on Twitter: @fottojourno.